What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bellingham has the most people working from home (18.3%).

Montville has the most affordable homes ($286k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Bellingham	Montville
People
Population	17,410Lowest	17,950Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.8% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	38.2±1.5Lowest about the U.S. average	42.8±4.1Highest 10% above U.S.
	Montville and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.1%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%	18.2%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Bellingham and Montville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.9%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Montville and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	25.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$125,307±$10kHighest 55% above U.S.	$96,454±$11kLowest 19% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$450,700±$13kHighest 35% above U.S.	$285,600±$13kLowest 14% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,836±$196Highest 30% above U.S.	$1,187±$99Lowest 16% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,030Highest 61% above U.S.	$4,565Lowest 46% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.8%±16.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41.4%±8.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bellingham and Montville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 37% above U.S.	25 minLowest 4% below U.S.
Work from home	18.3%±2.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	5.5%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#232 of 282 in MA	#95 of 149 in CT
School district	Bellingham	Montville School District
High school in town	Bellingham High School	Montville High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.4Highest	9.2Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.